


What's In A Name Anyways?

by reallyqween_92



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Confused Lexa, Confusion, F/F, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Light Angst, Miscommunication, Names, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-16
Updated: 2017-08-25
Packaged: 2018-12-02 18:05:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11514639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reallyqween_92/pseuds/reallyqween_92
Summary: Names AU where the name of your soulmate appears on your body around your 21st birthday. Lexa is a college student living with her cousin Anya when a name appears on her body, but Clarke is a boy's name, right? Soon after a beautiful blonde named Eliza moves in across from her. Lexa is mesmerized, but the name on her body holds her back. Why fall in love with someone who you're not destined to be with? Lexa quickly finds it is hard to control who you fall for and maybe Eliza is the right person after all?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This is my second fic and I hope it's enjoyable. I originally wrote it as writing practice, but decided it could be fun to post it. I plan on finishing it and will update at least once a week. Thanks for checking it out!

“Clarke” Lexa whispered, staring at her reflection in the mirror. “But, isn’t Clarke a boy’s name?” She traced the delicate black lettering again, careful to feel each letter under her fingertips. It was written in delicate cursive, each letter slightly raised off of her skin. “Clarke,” She said louder this time, tasting the name on her tongue. Lexa was confused, to say the least. The name stretched just three inches across her lower ribcage, rippling over her tan, toned skin. Lexa was startled out of her perplexed reverie by loud knocking on the bathroom door.  
“Hey, you done in there? It’s been, like, a million years!” Lexa had totally lost track of time and forgotten that her roommate needed to get ready for her day as well. Lexa didn’t have class for another hour and a half, but Anya needed to get to work.  
“Shit, sorry Anya, I’ll be out in just a sec!” Lexa heard a muffled huff from the other side of the door and receding steps. She would have to talk to Anya about the tattoo at some point, but first she wanted some time to process. “Clarke.” She read again before slipping her grey tank top on over her sports bra. “I’m so gay, what the hell.” Lexa mumbled looking at herself in the mirror before opening the door and heading to her room. 

The apartment was small, but relatively neat. Both Lexa and her older cousin liked things in order. Once in her room, Lexa grabbed her things and decided to head to campus early so she wouldn’t just sit around and think about the name. She knew people were going to start asking, at least the ones who knew that her 21st birthday was this week. Lexa had been a little surprised to find the name on her skin this morning, but it had been hard to miss. The tattoo tingled, almost pleasantly, but if asked, Lexa would have said that it felt squirmy. Like the physical manifestation of anxiety, or perhaps butterflies? Most people didn’t get their tattoos until right after their 21st birthday instead of right before it. Still, Lexa wasn’t certain yet that this was a good thing. Before she got out the door, Anya yelled from the bathroom.  
“You’re still coming to your party this weekend, right? Not gonna bail?  
“Yes, I’m coming, but I told you I don’t want a party. It’s just a birthday.”  
“Ugh, you’re so difficult. Everyone needs a party for their 21st! I remember mine, well, actually, I don’t remember that much of it…” Anya’s voice trailed off and Lexa shook her head. She remembered that night a little more clearly. She also remembered that Anya had shown her the name that appeared the next day as soon as she possibly could and a pang of guilt hit Lexa in the chest for not telling Anya yet. She would tackle that later, maybe once she had sorted her feelings a little bit more.  
“Bye Anya!”  
“Later Lex!”

Their apartment complex was only a few blocks away from campus, so it was mostly occupied by Polis University students like Lexa. She had noticed yesterday that someone new was moving in across the hall, but didn’t think about it again until she stepped out her door and immediately fell backwards over a haphazard pile of boxes in the hallway.  
“Shit!” Lexa screamed as she fell ungracefully. “Owww..”  
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” A girl’s voice asked, rushing over to Lexa.  
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just be careful where you…” Lexa trailed off as she looked up into big concerned blue eyes. The girl stuck her hand out to help Lexa to her feet and Lexa automatically took it after a beat. She was stronger than she looked and her hand was soft in Lexa’s grasp. She could feel her skin heat up with the contact and quickly realized that she was still staring at the girl as that heat traveled to her cheeks.  
“I’m really very sorry about that, I didn’t think about blocking your door. I should have been more careful.” Lexa was starstruck, the girl looked to be about her age with beautiful wavy blonde hair and a heart shaped face that was soft around the edges. She was just wearing shorts and a blue tank top, but somehow Lexa thought that she couldn’t look better in anything else. Maybe out of it though, said a small voice in the back of her head that she stifled by clearing her throat awkwardly.  
“Uhm yeah, it’s okay, don’t worry about it.” Lexa just stared at the girl before quickly letting go of her hand that she had held a few seconds too long.  
“This is not how I wanted to introduce myself, but here goes. Hi, I’m your new neighbor! You can call me Eliza, and my roommate, who happens to be late, is Raven.” For a split second Lexa was disappointed, this girl wasn’t Clarke. Not that she expected that kind of luck or anything, but she could hope that Clarke was a beautiful blonde girl and not some dude, right?  
“Hi, I’m Lexa and my roommate is Anya. It’s nice to meet you.” Eliza smiled and Lexa couldn’t help but smile a shy smile back at her. Eliza’s blue eyes sparkled.  
“It’s nice to meet you too Lexa. How about I make this all up to you once I’m all moved in. What would you say to a movie night?”  
“You really don’t have to, I’m fine.”  
“Well, maybe I just want to get to know my new neighbors then? I’ll provide the pizza.” Eliza winked and Lexa could feel her heart rate go up.  
“Sure, I guess.”  
“Great! And tell Anya to come too. How about tomorrow night?” Lexa just nodded, she wasn’t used to people inviting her to do things, especially people she had just met. Especially people that she had just met and was attracted to. Yikes.  
“Uhm, well, I should probably head out, I have to get to class.” Eliza had already started to move a few boxes out of the way of the stairs.  
“Oh, do you go to Polis U?”  
“Yeah, I’m a Poli-Sci/Business major.” Lexa never volunteered information, what was she doing?  
“Cool, I’m a transfer student. I’m a Bio/Art major, but my mom would shit herself if she knew about the art part.” Eliza smiled a little sadly and Lexa wondered what the story there was.  
“Maybe I’ll see you around campus sometime?”  
“Yeah, maybe.” Lexa shrugged, heading towards the stairs.  
“Bye Lexa!”  
“Bye.” Lexa said over her shoulder. 

Lexa didn’t realize until she was halfway to campus that she had bruised the hell out of her elbow when she fell. The pain had been dulled by her mind working overtime. Why couldn’t that girl be Clarke? Why couldn’t the name on her ribs be different? Why was she suddenly swooning over a beautiful girl? She didn’t even know her! Lexa mulled all of this over for the rest of her day, barely paying attention to even her favorite classes. She just couldn’t get the blonde out of her head, and then came the anxiety about tomorrow night. How was she going to act normal when she couldn’t even speak normally to her? Lexa decided to do what Lexa did best, avoid it. She would stay away from the apartments all day, study in the library or something, and hope that move in was done by the time she got home.


	2. Chapter 2

“So,” Raven said as she walked up the stairs with a few bags, “who was the hot and bothered brunette who almost ran into me in the parking lot? Did you do something to her?” Eliza turned around.  
“Well, I did invite her and her roommate over to our place tomorrow night actually, after, of course, I tripped her with all this crap. Also, you’re late!” Raven raised her eyebrows at that and handed a few things to her roommate.  
“Wow Clarke, you’re working faster than usual here. I figured you would take a break after the Finn...issue.” Raven picked up a box and headed inside while Eliza just glared at her.  
“I told you, don’t call me Clarke anymore okay? I’m using my middle name now. New school, new town, new name. And I just wanted to make up for tripping our new neighbor, I don’t want them to hate us before they even know us.” Eliza hoisted a box labeled “kitchen shit” onto their small bar counter, as Raven followed her inside.  
“But it’s fine if they hate us once they get to know us, right?” Raven teased back as she sat down with a deconstructed bookcase and a hammer. Eliza rolled her eyes.  
“With your experiments, that isn’t unlikely.” She paused, watching the look of determination on Raven’s face as she took the parts out of the box. “You know there are directions for that in the box.”  
“Directions are for losers who don’t have hammers and brains.” Eliza knew the brains part was true, Raven was already a great engineer even if she hadn’t completed her degree yet.  
“Uh-huh. So, why were you late anyway?” Eliza leaned on the counter.  
“Long story.” Raven pretended to be absorbed in her task and Eliza decided to drop it for now.  
“Fine, I’ll ask again later. Oh, Bell and Octavia will be over this evening. Bell is bringing the bigger furniture in his truck and hopefully Murphy will come too so they can move it in and not us helpless, weak women.”  
“Speak for yourself!” Raven replied and Eliza laughed.  
“I’m not saying we couldn’t do it, but wouldn’t you rather have them do it and us eat pizza and watch?”  
“Okay, good point.” Raven conceded. There was a brief silence as Eliza went to get the last few boxes out of the hallway and Raven finished up with the bookcase and moved on to dragging boxes back to their respective rooms.  
“She was pretty though, wasn’t she?”  
“What?” Raven yelled back as Eliza came back into the room.  
“Her name is Lexa and she was pretty.”  
“Seriously Clarke?”  
“Eliza.”  
“Ugh, you know it is going to take me forever to call you that, right? I’ve known you forever and you have always been Clarke.” Raven whined.  
“Well, just make sure and use that name around our new friends so they don’t have that issue.” Eliza replied decidedly.  
“Friends? I haven’t even met them yet.”  
“You will tomorrow night!” Eliza hummed in response, picking up her box of art supplies and retreating to her room. 

Raven just sighed and shook her head. She was a little concerned about Clarke, or Eliza, but she was happy to see her being her normal bubbly self. It seemed like ages since she had seen that Clarke, the real Clarke.  
“A new start, right.” Raven repeated before going back to her unpacking. A couple hours later the apartment looked almost like a home, minus the furniture. So Raven and Eliza just laid on the carpet.  
“I think our ceiling needs some art.” Eliza said.  
“That sounds like something that will fall on our heads to me. That, or violate fire code.” Eliza let out a huff.  
“Party pooper, since when have you cared about fire code? You practically caught your last place on fire.” Eliza elbowed Raven a little, smiling.  
“You sure you’re doing okay? I mean, with the move and everything?” Raven said, ignoring her teasing. Eliza sighed and was silent for a second.  
“Yeah, I’m fine. My mom said she would come visit next chance she got. And now we’re two hours closer to Bell and Octavia. Maybe Monty and Jasper will come visit too. How about you?” Eliza turned her head to look at Raven’s dark eyes.  
“Me? Don’t worry about me, I’ve already got a job in the engineering lab on campus! Besides, I wasn’t really leaving anyone anyway.” Before Elliza could respond there was a loud knock on the door.

“Hey campus police! Got a bunch of complaints about the mess!” Eliza jumped and opened up the door to reveal a smiling pair of Blake siblings and Murphy with a six pack of cheap beer.  
“We’re not even on campus!” Raven yelled as they all marched inside. Octavia put her hands up in surrender.  
“It was his lame idea anyway.” She said jerking her thumb towards Bellamy.  
“Aw c’mon guys, it was a little bit funny, right?”  
“Whatever you say Bell, anything you say is funny as long as you guys are helping us move heavy things.”  
“I’m going to hold you to that then.” Bell winked and Eliza rolled her eyes.  
“Hey, I heard there would be pizza involved?” Murphy chimed in, putting the beers in the empty fridge. Bellamy and Murphy were both seniors at Polis U, while Octavia was a junior like Eliza and Raven.  
“Good to see you too, Murph.” Raven rolled her eyes.  
“Don’t worry, I’ll order some in a few minutes. It’s barely lunch time yet.” Eliza responded as Bellamy wrapped her up in a bear hug.  
“So how is my blonde little sister?” Eliza and Octavia had been neighbors from the time they were 2 onwards and had spent so much time together that Bell had just started calling Eliza his sister too. Raven had joined their group in high school when she had transferred in and beat the hell out of Murphy at dodgeball.  
“I’m good Bell, how about you? Found the right Gina yet?” Eliza teased, Bellamy already had his soulmate tattoo, but Amy was a very common name and proved difficult to find the right Gina.  
“Still on the hunt, but I’ll keep you updated. Thanks for rubbing it in though.” Bellamy winked and released Eliza from the hug into Octavia’s arms. “Why don’t you ask O about her’s huh?” Octavia had turned 21 a few months earlier and got her tattoo as well.  
“Yeah O, any luck?” Octavia just rolled her eyes and gave Eliza a quick hug and then Raven too.  
“Yeah right, no one names their kid “Lincoln” unless they were born 200 years ago. I mean, seriously? Sometimes I think the universe is just laughing at me!”  
“So dramatic.” Remarked Murphy, earning a death glare from octavia.  
“Oh shut up, we can’t all be as lucky as you!”  
“Or as bitter as you.” Murphy responded taking a sip of his beer.  
“What was that? Don’t make me get Raven to beat your ass again! Or I could always just do it myself!”  
“Woah, not in the new apartment O, we don’t even have carpet cleaner yet!” Eliza laughed, jokingly holding Octavia back. “How is Emori anyway?”  
“She’s good, she is still on that study abroad trip though.” Murphy smiled thinking about her.  
“It’s a bummer she has been gone all summer. When does she get back from Israel?” Eliza asked.  
“19 days.”  
“Hey guys, hate to interrupt, but it’s getting a little cloudy out there and you know how it likes to thunderstorm in the afternoons up here.” Bell added and Octavia nodded, it had been storming most evenings for the past few weeks.  
“Good point, I don’t want to be hauling soggy furniture up those stairs. Couldn’t you guys have gotten a unit on the ground floor?” Murphy added. Eliza just smiled.  
“But this unit has a balcony!”  
“Yeah, and we like to see you suffer.” Added Raven matter of factly.  
“Well, I for one, am not here for the heavy lifting, but I will order the pizza as soon as we have something to sit on up here.” Octavia smiled, pulling out her cellphone as Eliza and the boys headed out to the parking lot. Raven opted to watch from the top of the stairs and direct. While she got along well, heavy lifting and stairs did not agree with the metal pins in her leg from a middle school misadventure. An hour and a half later there was a couch stuck in the stairwell. The girls were trapped up above on the 2nd floor and the boys were trapped down below on the ground floor. They had managed to get the armchairs and tables, as well as bed frames and mattresses up the stairs easily, but the couch had presented a greater challenge.

“Well shit.” Bellamy wiped some sweat from his brow, running his hand through his dark hair and Murphy stood back. They had been trying to push from the bottom, while the girls pulled, but they needed another person to maneuver the couch from below with them.  
“Yeah, but hey, at least we will get all the pizza when it is delivered.” Murphy smiled.  
“I heard that you little weasel! I will climb down this building for pizza and you know it!” Octavia yelled back.  
“Ugh,” Eliza groaned, “Now the whole floor is going to hate us.”  
“Also, it’s beginning to drizzle.” Added Raven.  
“Perfect.” Eliza sat down on her doorstep.  
Down below Bellamy and Murphy were talking, trying to figure out how to unstick the couch when the door to the apartment below Eliza’s opened.


	3. Chapter 3

“Hey, you guys need a hand?” A well toned man with a shaved head and a better tan than Bellamy stepped outside. He was just wearing jeans and a white t-shirt, but you could see the muscles in his shoulders through it. He had a serious expression until he saw the couch stuck in the stairwell and suppressed a smile. “Now that is impressive, I was wondering what all the noise was about.” Bellamy grinned back and stuck out his hand.

“Hey, I’m Bellamy, and this is Murphy. We’re trying to help those lovely ladies up there move in, but they are not the most helpful with this couch. We could definitely use your help if you’re offering.” The man took Bellamy’s hand and he noted the strong handshake.  
“It’s nice to meet you guys, and hopefully my new neighbors up there once they can get out. I’m Lincoln, let’s see if we can un-wedge that sad couch.” Neither Bellamy nor Murphy heard his jab at the couch, they were too busy just staring. Was this Octavia’s Lincoln? Bellamy was the first to regain his composure.

“Lincoln, huh? That’s an interesting name, you should really meet my sister, I think the two of you would get along.” Lincoln smiled back a little confusedly.  
“Well, if she is one of those girls up there watching us, then we should really get this couch moved.”  
“Plus, it’s raining.” Added Murphy finally. Bellamy nodded.  
“Alright girls, we got surprise help, so get ready up there!” 

After another 15 minutes of struggling, they finally got the couch loose and up the stairs and into the apartment. As soon as the guys set it down, Eliza offered them each a cold beer, thanking them, and introducing herself and Raven to Lincoln. Raven had already sat down on the couch and Octavia was off to the side staring at Lincoln. She had always liked the tan, muscular type and there was something very nice about his smile.

“Thanks man,” Bellamy shook Lincoln’s hand again, “we couldn’t have done it without you. Now, as promised, this is my sister, Octavia.” Bellamy turned to Octavia and smiled like the big brother he was. “Octavia, this is their neighbor downstairs, Lincoln.” Eliza gasped and Raven sat up on the couch. From where Clarke was standing she could see tattoos showing through the wet fabric of Lincoln’s shirt and now she noticed that one was definitely a name that started with the letter O right on his shoulder blade.  
“Shoot, I guess I can’t call dibs on this one,” Raven smiled. For a few moments there was just silence as Octavia and Lincoln stared at each other. Then, gently, Lincoln reached out his hand and Octavia placed her’s in it.  
“Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Octavia.” Lincoln grinned. “I was scared I would never find a girl named Octavia.” He reached up and pulled the neck of his shirt down to reveal his tattoo. Octavia still stared, but took off her leather jacket to reveal the tattoo on her bicep.  
“And I didn’t think anyone younger than 200 was named Lincoln.” Octavia finally responded, more with awe in her voice than teasing.  
“Alright you two, just sit down on the couch and get to know each other a little bit” Bellamy said, breaking the moment. After a few minutes of talk there was a knock at the door and Raven got up to go pay for their pizza while Lincoln and Octavia sat down and began talking. Bellamy leaned against the counter next to Clarke smiling and took a sip of his beer.

“Jealous?” Eliza teased, looking up at Bellamy.  
“Maybe a little, but I’m not really into guys, so…” Eliza just smiled and slapped him on the arm.  
“You know what I mean.”  
“Nah, I’m just happy for my little sister. Plus, I can’t wait to embarrass the hell out of her and see if I approve of this.”  
“There's the Bellamy I know.” Eliza smiled, seeing how close they sat on the couch, suddenly all alone in their little world. She wanted that too, but it was still 5 months until her 21st birthday, and who knows how long it would take her to find her person once the name had appeared. Suddenly, her thoughts drifted back to the girl she had met earlier that morning. Lexa, with her stunning green eyes and so carefully braided hair. Eliza shook her head, there was no way.

“Hey Raven, what’s taking so long with the pizza?” Eliza called, walking to the door and leaving Bellamy to stave off Murphy’s teasing.  
“Look who I found out in the hall drooling over our pizza,” Raven smiled, leaving the door open behind her and carrying in 3 large pizza boxes. Anya followed behind her a little more hesitantly.  
“I promise I’m not just here for the pizza,” she said putting her hands up, “I also wanted to meet my new neighbors.” Anya scanned the room and her eyes landed on Lincoln and Octavia on the couch. “And I see you’ve already met Lincoln.” She added with raised eyebrows. Eliza walked up to Anya.  
“Hi, I’m Eliza. Raven and I are actually the only ones who are living here, the rest of these hooligans are our friends who were helping us move. Lincoln saved our butts earlier with the couch.” Anya shook her head and smiled. Lexa had sent her a text about meeting the neighbors, and this girl certainly seemed like Lexa’s type. Eliza went around and introduced everyone and when she had introduced Octavia Anya’s eyebrows shot up again.  
“Wow Lincoln, no wonder you helped them move!”She said and Lincoln rolled his eyes.  
“Hey, I helped before I even knew her name.” He responded from his spot on the couch, one arm around Octavia already.   
“Yeah, it’s awesome, can we eat now?” Interrupted Murphy. Everyone settled in and Clarke handed out some plates and napkins while they all talked.

Lexa’s phone vibrated loudly against the wooden desk in the campus library, startling Lexa out of her textbook. She had finally gotten Eliza out of her head and was engrossed in her text, but she checked the message anyway.  
[Anya 8:32 pm]: “Hey Lex, I’m hanging with the new neighbors, you should come over when you get back from hiding in your books at the library ;)”   
[Anya 8:34 pm]: “Linc is here too.”  
[Anya 8:35 pm]: “There is still some pizza left for now.”  
Lexa’s stomach growled and she rolled her eyes, Anya always knew when Lexa was hiding in the library and hungry. She reluctantly packed up her stuff and headed back to the apartment complex. At the door, she hesitated slightly, hand hovering above the crooked number 4 on the apartment door. Inside, she could hear everyone talking and laughing, and while Lexa wasn’t antisocial, she wasn’t really a party person either. She also didn’t want to admit it, but the idea of seeing Eliza again made her stomach clench a little bit. This was what she was planning on avoiding. She knocked and heard someone yell “come in,” so she opened the door. 

“Hey Lexa,” Lincoln greeted her from the couch when she walked in. Eliza looked up when she heard her name.  
“Oh, hi Lexa, I was hoping you would drop by, it seems like we’ve kidnapped your friends,” Eliza gestured to Lincoln, “and we may not be able to give him back.” Lincoln ducked his head.  
“Lexa, this is Octavia, a friend of Raven and Eliza’s.” Lexa struggled to remain composed, trying not to let any emotions show on her face. She was happy for her friend, so happy for him, but at the same time, did he have to find her today? Lexa was still a bit miffed about the name that lurked on her ribs right under her shirt. Instead of retreating though, she forced herself to smile and be happy for Lincoln. He deserved this and he had been waiting for 4 years already. They quickly went around the room and introduced everyone. Then Eliza handed Lexa a plate and she picked over the pizza that was left. There was about half a pineapple and mushroom pizza, a few slices of cheese, and then part of a pesto pizza. Lexa always opted for pesto. 

“Here, have a seat at the bar with me.” Eliza pulled out a chair and handed Lexa a napkin. “I think we may need more than just the couch and that one chair now that we have a few other people in here.” She remarked and Lexa nodded, not sure what to say back. She couldn’t help but stare a little at Eliza’s warm grin as she watched her friends talking. Anya saw Lexa staring at Eliza and winked at her when she caught Lexa’s eye for a second. Anya hoped that Lexa would show some interest in someone soon, since it had been over a year since her last relationship had ended a little less than amicably. Anya was also aware that Lexa’s tattoo would be appearing within the next two weeks and Lexa would be more hesitant to start anything. Lexa didn’t like temporary things, she thought they got in the way of what should be permanent.   
“Hey guys,” Anya cleared her throat, “ we’re having a big party on Saturday to celebrate Lexa’s 21st birthday, you should all come! It would be more fun with more people.” Lexa groaned internally, but the idea of Eliza being at her party did make it a little more appealing. Everyone agreed to come if they could. After another hour of idle conversation and the final emptying of the pizza boxes, it was time to call it a night. Lincoln made sure to walk Octavia to her car and exchange numbers and schedules with he,r while Bellamy and Murphy climbed into the old red pickup truck that had been weighed down by furniture. 

“Hey, watch your hands on my baby sister!” Bellamy yelled as Lincoln kissed Octavia goodnight. Octavia flipped him off and he just laughed. Upstairs Lexa was helping Eliza clean up while Raven and Anya talked politics.  
“They seem like they have hit if off, it’s rare that Raven finds someone who can talk politics like that with her.” They both glanced over to see Raven gesturing wildly and Anya standing her ground.  
“Yeah, Anya works for a big law firm, so this is right up her alley.” Lexa said. There was a pause.  
“So, turning 21 huh? Are you excited about getting your tattoo?” Eliza asked. Lexa froze for a second, not sure how to respond.  
“I guess? I don’t know, it just seems kind of surreal that the universe chooses who you should be with, you know? I mean, what if the universe chooses wrong?” Clarke nodded and Lexa quickly bit down on her tongue. She wasn’t one to share like that and she was a little worried about Eliza’s reaction, but she seemed unperturbed.   
“Yeah, I can understand that feeling, it’s odd to have that autonomy taken away from you. I’m still 5 months away from my 21st.” Eliza shoved the pizza boxes into a trash bag and passed it to Lexa so she could dump in some greasy napkins. “Thanks for helping me clean up, I appreciate it.”  
“Sure, no prob.”  
“Are we still on for that movie night tomorrow?” Eliza asked. Lexa just nodded back, she wasn’t sure she could concentrate on a movie with Eliza in the room. At least Anya and Raven would be there to help distract her some. Eliza smiled in response and Lexa felt the butterflies shiver in her stomach just slightly.  
“Awesome, Raven has a pretty extensive collection of movies, so we’ll have a lot to choose from. I’m thinking chinese take out for dinner?”  
“Sounds great to me, Lexa and I both love chinese food.” Anya responded, walking over to hand Lexa her bag. She turned to Eliza and now Raven. “It was great meeting you both, thanks for having us over and letting us freeload some of that pizza. We’ll see you for movie night tomorrow and can’t wait to have you guys for the party on Saturday. Lexa is super stoked, but she won’t admit it.” Anya elbowed Lexa playfully and Lexa rolled her eyes.  
“Sure I am.” Then she turned to Eliza and whispered not too quietly, “The party is really just for Anya because she is scared of getting old. She just wants to feel young again.” Lexa winked and Eliza’s breath caught in her throat. Raven giggled and Anya grimaced.  
“At least I’m not an infant in college like all of you. I’m a real adult.”  
“That sounds sucky.” Raven added.  
“I think that’s our cue to leave, come on Lexa.” Anya said jokingly, dragging Lexa out the door.

“Goodnight Lexa, goodnight Anya!” Eliza called after them as they entered their apartment across the hall. As soon as their door closed, Raven turned to Eliza with a grin.  
“Uh-oh, those grins never mean anything good.”  
“Someone has a crush on a tall green-eyed brunette!” Raven teased.  
“Seriously, I don’t have a crush on her. Besides, you heard them. Her 21st birthday is this week, so she’ll get her tattoo soon and know, so I doubt she really wants to start anything right now.”  
“But what if, and hear me out, it’s your name that shows up on her?” Eliza just rolled her eyes and turned to finish cleaning up the few beer cans on the counter.  
“Yeah, no way.” Raven just shrugged. She hadn’t missed the way Lexa looked at Eliza.  
“It could happen, I mean, O found her soulmate here. Maybe your’s isn’t too far away either.”  
“Well, I won’t know anytime too soon, my birthday is still almost 3 months away in November.”  
“Fine, fine, whatever Eliza.” Raven teased, “I’m going to bed anyway, my first class is pretty early tomorrow morning. Wouldn’t want to be late.”  
“Goodnight Raven.” Eliza responded absently, thinking about what if Raven was right? She quickly shook her head. No way.

Things across the hall were not going much differently. As soon as their door closed Anya stared pointedly at Lexa.  
“What?” Lexa finally asked, knowing that Anya wouldn’t stop until she gave in.  
“You like her, don’t you?” Anya was surprised to see Lexa showing interest in someone.  
“It’s complicated.” Lexa sighed, deciding not to really answer the question. She knew Anya probably wouldn’t drop it, but she also didn’t want to explain everything to Anya.  
“Why? Because you’re about to get your tattoo and don’t want to start anything immediately?” Anya asked.  
“Yes, exactly.” Lexa lied, and cringed internally for it. She would tell Anya, soonish.  
“Well, it is up to you kiddo, but you haven’t smiled like that in a long time. That’s special, so you might want to hold onto it.” Anya playfully punched Lexa’s arm, “I just want you to be happy. Goodnight!”  
“Goodnight Anya,” Lexa mumbled, heading to her room to crawl into bed and overthink everything that had happened that day.


	4. Chapter 4

Lexa woke up early the next morning to go for a jog. She had taken up jogging after her last relationship had ended. It helped her process things and clear her mind. It was still technically summer, but the morning air had a crisp edge to it that made her lungs burn as the ran through the college town. After her jog, Lexa had made up her mind. She would try to keep her distance from Eliza. They could be amicable neighbors, but otherwise she would keep to herself like she always had. This decision lasted until her first class of the day. It was a required math class for all majors at Polis U, so it wasn’t too much of a shock to see Eliza seated in the empty seat next to where Lexa always sat. Lexa internally cursed the universe and then sat down quietly next to Eliza. Eliza looked up and stared for a split second in surprise before a smile broke out on her face and Lexa knew her plan was not going to go well.

“Hi Lexa, I thought we might run into each other on campus, but I guess we have a class together too!” Lexa could feel her cheeks heat up, Eliza was too cute. Her blonde waves were pulled back in a messy bun, a few tendrils escaping and twirling down the soft curve of her neck. She wore a Polis U pullover and leggings that hugged every curve just right.  
“Hi, I mean, good morning.” Lexa stumbled over her words a little as she regained her bearings and Eliza giggled.  
“You alright? Did you miss your morning coffee?” Eliza teased. Thankfully, the professor started the class on time for once and Lexa could retreat into her work for a while. Eliza was quiet too, trying to catch up since the semester had started two weeks earlier. About halfway through the class, Eliza discreetly put a little folded note on Lexa’s desk and smiled at her. Lexa opened up the note and read it. 

“Do you have a class right after this?” Lexa quickly scribbled back.  
“No, why?”  
“Want to get something to eat with me?” Lexa stared at the note for a second, she did want to spend time with Eliza, but was that a good idea? No, not it wasn’t.  
“Sure, there is a nice cafe not too far from campus.” Eliza smiled and nodded. Lexa spent the rest of the class completely ignoring their professor and thinking about how she was going to deal with this slight crush she had on the wrong girl. At the end of the class, Eliza stood up.  
“You know, we should really just exchange cell numbers and text in class like normal college kids.” Eliza said as she stretched a little bit. It was a big enough class that texting generally went unnoticed by the professor unless you were in the first row.  
“That only works in big classes like this one.” Lexa paused, “Is that your careful way of asking me for my number?” Lexa teased, hoping that she was right and smiled when she saw Eliza’s cheeks pink a little as she looked down.  
“I mean, If we’re gonna be neighbors and classmates, we should probably be friends too. So, I kind of might need your number. Just in case, you know.” Lexa smiled, she did want to be friends with Eliza, at least. They talked as Lexa led Eliza to her favorite cafe that was near campus and they sat down and exchanged numbers. Lexa was still a little nervous around Eliza, but was getting more comfortable. She had always been slow to warm up to people. 

“So, what’s your favorite thing here?” Eliza asked Lexa as they looked at the menu.  
“Well, I’m not huge on sugar, so I like their Peruvian Roast coffee with a little bit of dark chocolate syrup. Their pastries are really good too. I always get a dark chocolate croissant, but Anya says their raspberry danishes are to die for.” Eliza smiled, Lexa was too adorable.  
“So, I get the feeling that you might like chocolate a little bit?” Eliza elbowed Lexa slightly and grinned. Where Eliza’s elbow touched Lexa’s ribs, she could feel warmth radiate to the rest of her body, but tried desperately not to let it show.  
“It’s only the best thing ever, duh. Are you saying you don’t like chocolate? Because that could really just end this friendship right here.” Eliza shook her head.  
“Nope, I would never say that. I just like fruit flavors best, chocolate is good too though.”   
“Alright, I guess I’ll accept that.” Lexa stepped up and ordered her chocolate everything and was about to pay when Eliza stepped up. She ordered a raspberry danish and a latte.  
“I got this.”  
“You really don’t have to.” Lexa wasn’t used to someone offering to pay for her food. The only person who ever did that was Anya, and only on special occasions.  
“Nah, I’m still trying to make up for tripping you yesterday. You got a nasty bruise there on your elbow from it.” Eliza gestured to Lexa’s forgotten bruise. “My treat, alright?” Lexa just nodded.  
“Thank you.”  
“Mmhmm, my pleasure.” Eliza hummed in response. Lexa was surprised that Eliza had noticed the bruise on her elbow, Anya hadn’t even noticed it. They got their pastries and coffee and sat down at a table by the window. Eliza proceeded to add 3 packets of sugar to her coffee and Lexa made a face.  
“Now there is more sugar than coffee in that cup.”  
“Oh shut up, I can’t drink that super bitter stuff that you like for some reason.” Lexa shrugged and sipped her coffee. She liked the earthy taste of the coffee and the slight sweetness from the chocolate.  
“Oh man, Anya was right,” Eliza said biting into the danish, “this is delicious.” Lexa just nodded and they sat in silence for a few minutes enjoying their coffee.   
“So, why did you and Raven transfer here?” Lexa asked. Eliza looked down at her coffee for a moment and then looked back up at Lexa with a smile that Lexa thought seemed a little off.  
“Just needed a change, you know?” Lexa took the hint and dropped the subject with a nod.   
“Well, I’m glad you moved in across the hall. The guy who used to live there was a pain in the ass.”   
“I mean, I did make you fall on your ass, so…” Eliza smiled.  
“Haha, very funny. But seriously, he was so loud! It drove Lincoln insane living underneath him.”  
“I bet, being loud in a college apartment is guaranteed to piss people off.”  
“Especially around finals.”  
“Was he a student here?” Lexa nodded.  
“Yeah, he graduated and moved out last semester.”  
“Well, I’m not gonna say that we will be quiet neighbors, but I can promise we will try to be quieter than he was.” Eliza winked and Lexa swore her heart stopped for a second. Conversation flowed so easily with Eliza, even if it wasn’t about much. They talked about random things for another half hour before going to their separate classes.  
“I’m still going to see you for Tuesday movie night, right?” Eliza asked before they left.  
“Of course. Good luck in Biology.”  
“Awesome, thanks, I’m going to need it.” Clarke said.

Lexa nearly ran into another student on her way to her business economics class. She had all but forgotten about the tattoo and instead her head was filled with Eliza’s bright blue eyes and blonde curls. Eliza sat in her biology class trying to take notes. She wasn’t sure if she was distracted because of the caffeine or if it was because she couldn’t get Lexa out of her mind. Lexa was so beautiful and she seemed like a genuinely nice person. Eliza found herself sketching Lexa on her notes instead of writing down the terms she was supposed to memorize. After class, Eliza went to talk to Dr. Kane about her work study in his lab a couple mornings a week.   
Lexa had mentioned that she worked as a trainer in the school’s gym during the semester when they were having coffee. Eliza found it very hard not to picture Lexa working out and nearly tripped up the stairs as she returned to her apartment. Raven had a later class, so Eliza had some time to herself. She decided to go finish unpacking and then start on some of her homework before the movie night.


	5. Chapter 5

“Seriously Lexa, we are just going across the hall. You have changed clothes 3 times already.” Anya whined as Lexa changed her clothes again. She had just showered after work and couldn’t seem to find the right outfit. “You could probably just wear your pjs, come on Lexa!” She finally settled for some jeans shorts, white t-shirt and red flannel.  
“You know I sleep naked Anya, so I don’t think I could just go over like that.” She remarked, walking into the living room where Anya was standing by the door.  
“Well, don’t you look like a cute little gay.” Anya remarked after rolling her eyes.  
“You know, straight people wear flannel too.”  
“Yeah, but you’re not a straight person.”  
“True.” Lexa opened the door and they walked across the hall and knocked on Eliza’s door.  
“In fact, you’re probably going to be less of a straight person if we keep coming over here.” Anya all but whispered and Lexa’s face flushed. Before she could respond Anya reached for the door handle.

“Come on in!” Raven yelled and they opened the door. Inside, the apartment looked much more lived in now. Eliza and Raven had put up pictures and unloaded their boxes. There was even a welcome mat.  
“Nice, right?” Raven winked, gesturing to the rest of the apartment. Eliza walked into the living room from her room wearing a blue dress covered in sunflowers. Much different from the hoodie and leggings she had been wearing in class that morning. Lexa just stared.  
“Don’t let her take the credit for this, she just got here 20 minutes ago!” Clarke protested.   
“Well, either way, it looks nice now.” Raven sat down on the couch and pulled out a huge binder full of DVDs.   
“Come help me pick a few movies.” Anya and Lexa sat down next to Raven to look through her massive movie collection and Eliza leaned over the back of the couch.   
“I told you she had a lot of movies.”  
“You weren’t kidding.” Lexa responded, trying to ignore how hard her heart was pounding against her chest as she felt Eliza’s breath tickling her neck. She smelled like flowers and clean laundry. Lexa silently prayed that she didn’t smell like the gym after her shower. She had left her hair down for once, instead of tightly french-braided like usual.   
Eliza took a deep breath, she was very close to Lexa, so close she could smell the fruity shampoo Lexa must use on her long, wavy hair. Once again, Eliza’s mind drifted back to her images of Lexa working out in the gym. 

“So, what movie guys?” Raven interrupted Eliza’s thoughts, thankfully.  
“Uhm, there are too many choices.” Lexa responded, trying to cover for her lack of attention.  
“Okay, well do you want animated or real people?” Raven asked.  
“I’m feeling real people tonight, animated movies are for exam night recovery.” Anya said, even though she had been out of college for a few years already.  
“Okay, that’s a start.” Raven turned to a section in her binder. “Alright, scary, romantic, action, or comedy?”  
“Not scary.” Anya and Lexa both looked at Eliza. “What? I don’t like scary movies, they keep me up at night.”  
“I can think of something else that could keep you up at night.” Anya whispered to Lexa, who promptly turned red and elbowed her hard in the side. “Ow, what the hell Lexa?” Lexa just shrugged.  
“Fine, not scary. Comedy or action? I’m not feeling romance.” Raven said.  
“Comedy! Lexa always makes me watch action movies.”  
“I do not, you just have shit taste in movies.”  
“Alright, well, I have the new Ghostbusters movie, it’s funny and sort of action. Will that work for you two? I know Eliza likes it.”  
“Yes, I wanted to see that when it came out, but Anya was too busy with some silly case.” Lexa said and Anya rolled her eyes.  
“Then it is settled, Ghostbusters!” Eliza walked around and sat on the other end of the couch next to Lexa while Raven put in the disc and turned out the lights. It was a tight fit for all 4 of them to sit on the couch together, but no one tried to move. Lexa was hyper aware of Eliza’s bare leg touching her thigh and their elbows brushing together. Eliza’s skin was warm and soft, much paler than Lexa’s dark tan. It sent shivers up her spine and she knew that she would have to rewatch the movie another time in order to really notice the details.

Eliza tried not to make it obvious that she wanted to sit close to Lexa, but she couldn’t help herself. She carefully wiggled her way closer to Lexa as the movie played until their legs were right up against each other. She had seen the movie before a few times, but had never paid this little attention while staring straight at it. She kept glancing over at Lexa’s face, admiring the slant of her high cheekbones and her full, pink lips. Her eyes were stunning, a swirl of deep green and hazel with gold flecks, focused on the screen in front of them.

Halfway through the movie they went to pick up chinese food around the corner in Anya’s silver Honda Civic, since they couldn’t all fit in Raven’s rusty blue pickup truck. Once they got back, they pulled the coffee table close to the couch and spread their food over it.  
“Wanna just get plates and share everything since we all got different food?” Raven suggested and everyone agreed.  
“Yum, who got the lo mein with shrimp?” Eliza asked.  
“I did, it’s what I always get from that place.” Lexa responded, grabbing some of Eliza’s teriyaki chicken and rice.  
“How many egg rolls did we get?”   
“Let’s see,” Eliza counted, “11.” Anya nodded. Once they were all settled with their food, Raven turned the movie back on.   
“You know, ectoplasm and sweet and sour sauce are a little too similar, don’t you think.” Raven remarked.  
“Ugh, Raven, why? Just, why would you point that out?” Eliza complained as Raven grinned at her.  
“You’re welcome.” Lexa stifled a giggle and Anya abandoned her plate, leaving the sweet and sour chicken behind. During the rest of the movie, both Eliza and Lexa seemed to drift a little closer to each other. As soon as it ended, they both seemed to notice and scooted away from each other, but not before Raven noticed and smiled.  
“Well, this has been fun,” Anya stood up and stretched, “and now I understand why Lexa wanted to see it so bad,” she winked, “but we should probably shove off. I have work early tomorrow and Lexa probably has some school books to stick her nose into before the party this weekend.”  
“I actually do have some homework I have been neglecting.” Lexa relented, she didn’t want to get off the couch, but it’s not like she could just stay forever. “Thanks for the movie night, we should do this again sometime.”  
“I agree, maybe get Mexican food next time?” Raven added and Eliza nodded too.  
“Alright, sounds like a plan to me. We’ll see you Saturday evening then!” Anya waved and Lexa followed her out.  
“It was nice to see you guys, I’ll probably see you before Saturday, but if I don’t, enjoy the rest of your week.” Lexa said.  
“Thanks Lexa, you too. I’ll see you in class on Friday.” Eliza added.  
“Oh yeah, that math class. I guess I’ll see you then.”  
“Goodnight Lexa.”  
“Goodnight.” Lexa pulled the door shut and walked into her own apartment where Anya was already heading to her room to change into pjs.

“So, you have a class together?”  
“Yeah, we found out today. We also got coffee after class.” Lexa said the last part a little quieter, but Anya still stuck her head out of her door and raised her eyebrows. “At least finish getting dressed before you judge me, jeeze.”  
“Not judging, just...thinking.” Anya said, pulling on a worn out Polis U t-shirt.   
“Well, I don’t want to hear your thoughts.” Lexa responded, heading into her own room to change.   
“I think you already know them anyway.” Anya called after her. Lexa did know, but as she changed she looked at the name on her ribs again and figured it wouldn’t be fair to either of them. Besides, she told herself, Eliza is probably straight anyway.


	6. Chapter 6

The next few days passed uneventfully. Lexa ran into Raven once on campus and sat next to Eliza in class again Friday morning. Even though they had each other’s phone numbers, Eliza still wrote her notes asking about her day and other trivial stuff. It was cute. Lexa also noticed that Eliza seemed to spend a lot of class time sketching on her notes instead of writing them. She was actually very good, even if her sketches were just small things. Once, when she was flipping through some notes, Lexa could have sworn she saw her own eyes staring back at her from a page that was quickly obscured. Maybe it was just wishful thinking? She wasn’t about to ask Eliza about it, so she just let it go. Before she knew it, the day of her birthday and birthday party had arrived. 

“Anya, do we have to do this?” Lexa asked, trailing Anya through the grocery store with a cart full of beer and assorted snacks. There was even one tray of veggies that Anya had allowed after Lexa complained that she wanted to actually survive to her next birthday if possible.  
“Quit whining and just be happy someone is willing to throw a party for you when you’re so ungrateful.” Anya tossed in another 24 pack of hard cider. Lexa just sighed. She was never a party person in high school or college, in fact, she had only been to handful of parties that Anya had forced her to attend. They were loud, dirty and filled with gross drunk people who had no boundaries. But then there was Eliza. What was she like at parties, did she like parties? Raven had referred to her once as party girl Griffin.  
“You know, Eliza will be at the party. Wonder if she is one of those touchy-feely drunks that you hate.” Anya teased, grabbing some bags of chips off the shelf.  
“Ugh, get out of my head.” Lexa mumbled back and Anya just laughed and turned to face her.  
“Look Lex, just relax a little, alright? You know just about everyone that I invited and you’re getting free food and beer. Maybe you should just get wasted and spend some quality time with the girl you have an obvious crush on? It could be fun and you need to chill out some anyway.”

“But she isn’t Clarke.” It was out of her mouth before she could stop herself and Lexa clapped a hand over her lips as Anya whipped around to face her.  
“Clarke?” Anya said curiously. Lexa tried desperately to think of a way to cover up her slip up, but nothing came to her. “You got your tattoo already, didn’t you.” It wasn’t a question and Lexa just nodded. “Well, why didn’t you tell me sooner? How long has it been since you knew the name?”  
“Just a few days, I was going to tell you after the party was over and everything.” Lexa rubbed the back of her neck, avoiding Anya’s dark eyes. Anya sighed and turned back to the cart. They finished shopping in silence and and checked out. Once in the car, Anya cleared her throat.  
“So, Clarke huh?” She asked.  
“Yeah..” Lexa lifted up her tank top to reveal the name right under her bra line.  
“Wow, that’s really clear too. How do you feel about it?”  
“Confused. I mean, I’m hella gay, but Clarke seems like a guy’s name, right?”  
“Hmm, I guess so, but it could be gender neutral?”  
“Have you ever met a girl named Clarke Anya?” Lexa asked, trying to make her point.  
“Fair, I have not. But I think I’ve only ever met one guy named Clarke too, so who knows.”  
“Yeah, but what if the world screwed up this time? What if I get stuck with a guy? Anya, I’m not bi, I’m gay! I can’t fucking learn to love some guy!” Lexa put her head in her hands.  
“Hey, hey, it’s okay, calm down Lex, it’ll be okay.” Anya wasn’t quite sure what to say, but was glad that she had just pulled into the parking lot at their apartment. She put her hand on Lexa’s back. “The world doesn’t just screw up like that, you’ll see.”  
“You sure do have a lot of faith in the world for someone who hasn’t found their person yet.”  
“Just because I haven’t found the person whose name is on me doesn’t mean they aren’t out there looking for me. I’m sure I’ll find them when the time is right, I’m only 25 you know.” Anya said with a smile. On the inside she was worried that she wouldn’t find them, it had been 4 years since the name had shown up, exactly on her 21st birthday. Anya had rushed to show Lexa, the name “Roan” inked on her hip. For the first few months Anya had been excited. She figured she had better luck than Lincoln would finding an Octavia, but she had yet to find a Roan. It had stung a bit when she saw Lincoln with Octavia, but she was happy for him. She had resolved to not obsess over it and hope that Roan found her or she found Roan sooner than later.  
“Yeah, I guess that’s true.” Lexa conceded, getting out of the car and grabbing a few of the bags. It was still early afternoon and the party wouldn’t start for a few more hours.

Once they had unloaded everything, Lexa turned back to Anya. “I guess I just hoped through some sort of miracle, it might be her, you know?”  
“Eliza?” Anya asked, and Lexa nodded.  
“Yeah, she is something else.” Lexa said thoughtfully.  
“And I get the feeling she likes you too Lex, so what could it hurt? Does she have her tattoo yet?”  
“No, her 21st birthday is in November, so it’s still a ways off.”  
“See? Just because she isn’t your soul mate, doesn’t mean you couldn’t have some fun with her, right?”  
“But what if I fall for her? And then her tattoo appears and she dumps my ass for her soulmate? Or what if I fall for her and then find Clarke?” Lexa was really beginning to panic.  
“Woah, woah, woah, I only said have some fun with her. You’ve only known her a week! You’re not to going to fall for her, it doesn’t work like that. Sure, you could really like her, but totally falling for someone who isn’t your person is not that common. Just keep it casual. There is nothing wrong with that while you’re waiting to find the one.”  
“I just don’t want it to get in the way of finding our soulmates and I already really like her Anya.” Lexa said and Anya sighed.  
“Well, it is up to you Lex, but I don’t think it would hurt to experiment a little. It’s what college is all about.” Anya shrugged, turning around to begin setting up for the party. Lexa stepped out on their balcony for some fresh air. She really should calm down, she thought, but she wasn’t sure what she should do. On the one hand, somewhere out there was her soulmate. On the other hand, somewhere very close by was a beautiful blonde who gave her butterflies in all the right places. Instead of making a decision, Lexa went back inside and cracked open a hard cider. 2pm wasn’t too early to drink on your 21st birthday. Lexa and Anya’s friends started arriving around 5pm and Lexa was already tipsy.

“Hey Lex, happy birthday.” Gustus grabbed her in a big bear hug while Nyko laughed from behind them. Ryder arrived soon after, with Anya’s old roommate Luna following behind. Niylah and Echo showed up too, each with gifts of alcohol. A few other people that Lexa and Anya knew trailed in later, and at 6:02 the door opened and Eliza came in, quickly followed by Raven, an inseparable Lincoln and Octavia, and Bellamy.  
“Happy birthday!” Eliza said cheerily, handing Lexa a few bags. “This is from the whole crew, we all wanted to sponsor you getting shit-faced on your birthday!” Lexa just stared at Eliza’s warm smile for a second, overwhelmed by the music and people all around her.  
“Uh, thanks for coming guys. And thanks for the alcohol, Anya will appreciate your intentions.” Her brain was running a little slower thanks to the alcohol in her system.  
“It looks like you’re already part of the way there.” Raven winked at Lexa’s slightly vacant expression, before heading towards the beer pong table.The group quickly dispersed into the crowded apartment, leaving Lexa just standing with Eliza.

“So, do you know all of these people?” Eliza asked and Lexa shook her head.  
“Sort of? A lot of them I have met a few times, and some of them are family friends too. Gus and Nyko are like siblings to me and Anya. Tris is actually our younger cousin and Luna is a good friend of our’s who does weird shit.” Lexa gestured respectively to each individual. “The rest? I don’t really know ‘em very well, but whatever.” Lexa grinned. “You want a drink?”  
“Sure.” Eliza followed Lexa into the little kitchen and the took out some of the liquor and mixers. Lexa poured them each a drink and handed a red solo cup to Eliza, before taking a gulp of her own drink. This was how she was going to deal with this tonight, drink her feelings away. It was the proper college thing to do, right?  
“What’s in this?” Eliza asked after taking a sip of her drink. Lexa just shrugged.  
“No clue, I just poured random stuff in there.” Lexa said grinning and holding up one of the bottles to examine the label. “Might be rum, and there's a bunch of fruity shit too.” Eliza nodded, drunk Lexa was cute.  
“Looks like you’ve had a lot of that ‘fruity shit,’ huh?” Eliza asked with a smile and Lexa bobbed her head.  
“Honestly, I think I am the fruity shit at this point.” She said, immediately turning a little pink. Way to out yourself, moron! She screamed internally, but Eliza was still smiling softly at her, so maybe she hadn’t gotten it.  
“That’s okay, the fruity stuff is my favorite.” Eliza winked at her, turning around to rejoin the party and Lexa could swear her heart stopped. Was Eliza flirting with her? Or was she just drunker than she thought? Either way, Lexa followed Eliza into the living room. They got there just in time to see Raven throw the winning ping pong ball.  
“Ha! I told you I was the best shot here!” She gloated as Octavia cheered next to her. Bellamy and Anya both glared at her from the other side of the table.  
“Lucky shot Reyes, but you won’t be so lucky next time.” Anya said, downing the last drink and swaying slightly.  
“Woah there.” Bellamy steadied Anya, but she shrugged him off.  
“Hey, I’m good. You should have warned me that you suck at beer pong though.” Anya said, picking up the empty cups and dropping their ping pong ball into the cup of water. Across the table Raven was chugging what was left in their two remaining cups. Eliza turned to Lexa and grinned, before heading over to the group. Lexa swallowed, Eliza was up to something.

“Lex and I challenge the winners!” Eliza announced and Lexa groaned.  
“But I suck at this!” She whined, walking over.  
“That’s okay, so does O.” Raven said and Octavia elbowed her.  
“I do not suck at this, you and Eliza are just too competitive.” Octavia defended.  
“Whatever, Lex and I are gonna kick your asses, right Lex?” Eliza smiled over at Lexa.  
“Uh, sure?” Lexa said, still unsure about it.  
“Wow, I’m scared already.” Raven said sarcastically.  
“Shut up and play!” Someone yelled and the game began. Surprisingly enough, Lexa found that she wasn’t as horrible as she thought at this. She was nowhere near as good as Eliza and Raven were, who kept the game tied at almost all times. By the end of it, they were down to one cup on either side and it was Lexa’s turn. She had been pretty drunk before, but now she could barely see straight enough to throw the ball. The others weren’t much better off. Eliza had taken the first few drinks since she was far behind Lexa, and Raven and Octavia were feeling their first game pretty hard.   
“Come on Lex, I know you got this. Use some of that birthday magic!” Eliza said and Lexa decided to just go for it. She shut her eyes and threw the ball. There was a moment of silence and then a plop as the ball landed squarely in the cup. “Holy shit Lex, you did it!” Eliza grabbed Lexa in a tight hug while the rest of the room erupted. Lexa barely opened her eyes, just enjoying the way Eliza felt pressed against her. When she finally did open her eyes all the way, she looked straight into Eliza’s blue eyes and grinning face. For a split second, Lexa felt like they were going to kiss, but before her mind could make her muscles move, the moment was over and everyone around them was moving and talking. Lexa staggered a little and Eliza looked at her with someone Lexa couldn’t quite understand in her eyes.  
For the next hour or so, the party raged on. Everyone else played beer pong and messed with the music until Lexa was both danced out and about as drunk as she could get. By 11, Lexa was honestly ready for bed and the party wasn’t anywhere near over. Eliza had been dancing with Niylah, but noticed the way Lexa’s eyes had glazed over as she leaned against the counter.

“Hey, you wanna get some air? You might be done drinking for a while.” Eliza said walking over and Lexa nodded. They both walked out to the small deck, leaving the sliding door open behind them. Lexa leaned heavily against the railing, feeling her head spinning. Eliza gently rubbed her back a little bit.  
“Well, I would say you did use some of that birthday magic in there to beat Raven. I bet she is just fuming. Just watch, next party she will challenge you to a brutal rematch.”  
“Oh boy.” Lexa mumbled. They stood in silence for a few more minutes.  
“You know, I’m glad we moved in next to you guys.” Eliza said with a small smile. “The last place I lived, our neighbors weren’t nearly as cool as you.”   
“That’s pretty impressive.” Lexa said, sitting down in one of the chairs. Her whole body felt heavy and tired now. She could feel her eyelids drooping.  
“Alright, I think it’s time to get you to bed.” Eliza said, helping Lexa out of the chair. Normally, Lexa would have protested, but right now she was just struggling to move her feet. The party was still going as it blurred past her, and before she knew it, she was falling into her unmade bed. Eliza stood up and looked around the room. It was clean and well-organized, the walls were a greyish lavender punctuated by a few shelves of books and martial arts trophies. She looked back down to see Lexa already asleep. Eliza smiled and pulled the blankets up over her. Outside, she heard Raven yelling at her.  
“Hey Clark - I mean Eliza, come do body shots!” 

Eliza rolled her eyes and gently kissed Lexa’s cheek, before heading back out and shutting the door behind her. Lexa’s mind registered that she had heard the name Clarke, and she struggled to hold onto that thought as sleep enveloped her. The next morning Lexa woke up with a pounding headache and no clue how she had gotten to her bed.


End file.
